Harold “Ray” Hinton, age 60, went home to be with the Lord on September 18, 2014 in Denver, Colorado. Funeral services will be held Saturday, September 27th at 10am at Valley Church of the Nazarene in Monte Vista. Ray was born to James Henry Hinton and Olive Nan Gross Hinton on September 16, 1954 in Floydada, Texas. Ray grew up in Floydada on the family farm and attended Dougherty Elementary School and Floydada High School. He was involved in 4H, FFA, and had a passion for showing livestock alongside his brothers. Ray attended Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, where he received his B.S. in Agriculture Science and M.S. in Crop Science/Animal Nutrition. Ray was always drawn to Colorado and made it his permanent home after college. He first worked in Holly, Colorado before establishing the ranch in Monte Vista in 1984. On the farm, he raised purebred and commercial sheep, in addition to harvesting hay, alfalfa, barley, and wheat. Ray enjoyed showing sheep, hogs, and other livestock at national shows across the country, a passion his children continue on today. He also judged breeding sheep and market livestock shows across the country. In addition to farming and ranching, Ray was an educator. He taught agriculture education at Trinidad State Junior College and Alamosa High School, where he was the FFA advisor. He also served as the Colorado State University Agriculture Extension Agent for the San Luis Valley. Ray was involved in Farm Bureau, Young Farmers, and The Rio Grande Water Board. He also was an instructor for the Colorado Wildland Firefighter Academy. Ray is preceded in death by his father, James Henry Hinton. He is survived by his mother, Olive Nan Gross Hinton of Floydada, Texas; two brothers, James Fred Hinton and wife Sharon of Floydada, Texas, and Troy Dean Hinton and wife Kim of Wichita Falls, Texas; two sons, Ralph Thomas Hinton and wife Jordan of Hudson, Colorado, Eric Riley Hinton and wife Kiersten of Pawnee, Illinois, daughter Carly Marie Hinton of Monte Vista, and several nephews, a niece, and many cousins, aunts and uncles. A funeral service is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on Saturday September 27, 2014 at the Valley Church of the Nazarene. Burial will follow services in the Monte Vista Cemetery. Contributions are suggested to the San Luis Valley Fair and may be made in care of the funeral home office.

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